


Shades of Red and White

by DaughterTime



Category: Alice In Wondeland
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-05-06 02:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5399237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterTime/pseuds/DaughterTime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It became a reality when I was six. When she took one look at me and decreed that my name could not possible begin with the letter 'A'. From then on, she insisted I call her 'Mother'. 'Your Majesty' was suitable too. But I was to never call her by 'Red Queen'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I change the title. I am really sorry. And it will probably change again until I find the perfect one.  
> Comment! Kudos!  
> Give me feedback! Please and thank you.

"Your Majesty, this is our selection." Mrs. Payrin greeted the royal woman with a slight bow and a kind smile. She had gathered all the girls and they now stood before the two of them, ready to be viewed, just as requested by the queen. The royal woman nodded, a pleased smile on her face, and she was guided to where the girls were standing in an orderly line. Then she walked before the girls, viewing each of them and making a quick analysis of them. She was looking for a princess. She needed a girl who was young enough to be molded in the way she desired. All of these girls are too old and so the queen dismissed them with a wave of her hand. Many looked disappointed but once Mrs. Payrin led them away, they were no longer her concern. The Queen continued making her way down, looking over the younger girls. These were too shy! They were too nervous.

The Queen sighed and kept walking, reaching the end and she was about to turn back to Gail Payrin, when one of them caught her eye. She had long, auburn hair and blue eyes, one a slightly darker shade than the other. She faced the Queen directly and she stood defensively before a second girl who was half cowering behind her. The girls' eyes pierced the Queen with their daringness, daring the Queen to select her or her friend.

The Queen turned, giving the girl her full attention and this child knew that something important was happening. She stood even straighter and when the girl she was half hiding whimpered slightly, she turned and whispered in her ear and smiled. The cowering child nodded and stood a little straighter herself and the Queen's decision was made.

"Gail. I have made my decision." The Queen leaned forward, looking closely at the auburn-haired girl. No. Her name could not possibly begin with 'A'.

Gail rushed over and stood over the Queen like a hummingbird.

"This girl's name doesn't begin with 'A', does it?" Before the woman could respond, the Queen brushed away the response.

"It doesn't matter. I choose this little girl. The one with the blue eyes." Gail brightened, obviously glad that the Queen had selected a child. She was paying a very large sum, which the Queen could only imagine how much use the money would receive.

The older woman leaned forward and whispered to the who was hiding. Her hair was almost white and her eyes were a soft blue. This child was a coward.

"No." The Queen snapped and Gail and white-haired girl flinched. "Not that one. She isn't princess material and she never will be. She is cowardly and weak. I want the other one." Gail looked down at the audburn-haired girl, whose eyes were now blazing with fury. She knew exactly what the Queen had called her friend. Yes. This girl was going to be perfect. Gail proceeded to speak in the chosen girls ear and she nodded at what Gail had said. She then turned to the other girl, speaking softly to her.

"I have to go, Nyssa. Ty can look after you, okay? Chin up. Remember." The younger girl nodded, fear clear in her eyes. The child the Queen selected kissed her forehead and the Queen knew what her name would be. Isabel. Isabel whispered something else to Nyssa and then turned back to her. Nyssa cried and wrapped Isabel in a tight hug, tears streaming down her small cheeks.

"Nyssa!" Isabel said, looking down at her. "I have to go! Chin up. Remember!" She whispered more small words to her and then one of the older girls, around maybe 8 came to grab the squirming three-year-old. Gail stood, guided Isabel over to the Queen and she then explained.

"She's six and has been with us for about 8 months. She's a little strong willed, I warn you." The Queen nodded and turned away, one of her guards scampering forward to grab the young girl's hand and guide her to the carriage. Once the carriage was moving, the Queen looked at her again.

"I'm your mother now. You may call me 'mother' or 'Your Majetsy' and from here on, I will call you Isabel. That is your name now.," the girl nodded and the Queen smiled. She would be perfect.

 


	2. Chapter 2

I raced down the hallway, keeping a careful ear and eye out for any of the servants and the castle guards. If I got caught, they would have to tell Mother. Then I would have to tell Mother that Chess got out again and then he and I were in for a load of trouble. Usually, I could weasel my way out of getting in very much trouble. But lately, that damn cat had been causing more and more of it and our usual mischief was harder to get away with. Mother was beginning to loss her patience and if she lost her patience, I would loss Chess. So our usual shenanigans would have to be put on hold.

It had gotten easier over the years to get away with such mischief. Usually because such actions was the only joy half of the palace staff got on a daily basis. But for now, I just had to find my stupid cat before he got caught and I got in trouble. The mischief would have to wait.

"Chess!" I whisper yelled, calling out for him. If that damn cat was outside again, I was gonna kill him.

"Chess!" I said a little louder, knowing that wherever the hell he was, he could hear me and was just choosing not to come.

"Chess! This isn't funny anymore! If Mum finds you, I get punished, mind you!"

"Damn that excuse! It always ruins my fun!" I whirled around to see the boy-cat lounging languidly against the wall, his head thrown back against it in a pout and his eyes cast upwards. He turned his gaze to mine and the pout deepened. I laughed.

"Chess, stop being a drama King. Let's go. Rasabeth is in the kitchens to-day!" He visibly brightened and pushed off the wall, shifting in mid air, trading his coat-tails for fur. A small part of me missed him, the boy that Chessire could become. But for now, his tail lashed lazily through the air and he turned back to look at me with eyes as green as the North Sea.

"Coming?" His voice changed, become deeper, smoother, more adult. I sighed, nodded and we made our way to the kitchen.  
 

 

"The two of you are going to get me in trouble one of these days," the young cook shook her head at us and I smiled at her before grabbing another scone.

"Oh come on, Rasabeth. We're not that terrible company." I smiled and she did her best to hide hers as she turned away but it slipped through and I saw it despite her efforts. I opened my mouth to say something when my name came echoing down the hall. I sighed and ignored the slight shiver of panic that ran through me and looked down at Chess.

"You need to return to my room. And you have to stay there. I can't stress that enough, Chessire." The cat's ears flattened and he nodded. I never used his full name unless I had to. Then he knew to take me seriously. I nodded to Rasabeth and darted out of the kitchen, flying down the hallways for my bedroom as fast as I could. I had just enough time to throw myself down onto a chair, flatten my skirt, pat my hair down and opened to a random page in my book when Mother burst through the door.  
"Isabel!" I jumped, disguising my flare of fear for innocence and surprise.

I put the book down and stood. "Yes Mother?" She glowered angrily.

"I've been calling you. Come. Now." She flew out of the room in a whirl of red and strode away down the hall. I nodded and fell into step behind her, walking with the poise and grace that she had been teaching me for eight years. We walked into the throne room and Mother sat down with a swish of her skirt. I stood beside her and waited expectantly for her to explain why she had summoned me.

"Bring them in!" She called and my gaze shot towards the door in surprise as it swung open. In marched various nobles and I immediately realized what this was and why I was here. Suitors. I closed my eyes for a moment to hold back a groan. Underland knew how much I despised them. They always came in varying shapes, sizes and personalities with their noses upturned and a thousand reasons why I should marry them. I opened my eyes again and banished the ugly thoughts. Mother always found a way to discover what I was thinking. I didn't need her to discover exactly what my thoughts were on marriage.

At least this group wasn't horrible to look at, like the last one. I held back a smirk as I remembered the sharp nose and hollow cheeks that had compared with the swollen face of the second one. Instead, I allowed the thought to form a graceful smile on my face.

I tuned out a majority of the conversation, curtsying and nodded when necessary before we departed from the throne room in favor of the dining room. On our way, I discovered that not only would this group be joining us for dinner, but most of them would be joining us for roughly a week. Chess wasn't gonna like this. And, as much as I wanted to throw Chess's litter box at these boys, I would be expected to welcome them and play nice until they left. This week was going to be long.

I had three eligible suitors this time around. 

There was a heavy-set boy of 19 named Worthington James. He had no neck. His cheeks were the size of Chess's paws and if his stomach were hollow, I am fairly certain that I could've curled up inside quite comfortably. His eyes were small and the color of dead dirt and he wobbled instead of walked. He shoved his gob full of food so quickly that the rest of us could only stare and wonder where it all went. When he spoke, even if his mouth wasn't full of food, we could hardly understand him.

Henry Kensington was a tall fellow with a bird like face. His eyes were sharp and his nose was hooked and his hair was slicked back with so much gel that I and Stark, the third suitor who sat beside me, could smell it from across the table. He was just like all of the others suitors had been: a pompous twit.

"Well, Monsieur Kensington, it seems you are quite the accomplished hunter." I smiled at him after he finished praising his hunting skills. The boy grinned and nodded.

"Even better than my own father. I do apologize, m'lady. I haven't told you when I made my first kill. We were hunting near one of those dreadful orphan villages when I was 7. I shot the Vanderbilt right as it was charging at us and all of those dreadful urchins kept pleading and crying for us to share it with them and give them food that they weren't worthy of." His nose wrinkled in disgust and I fought not to tighten my hold on my fork. I may have been six, but I remember having to leave my sister in one of those damned places.

"Did they?" I asked dryly, casting a nonchalant glance up at him. Henry wrinkled his nose and nodded.

"Dreadful, pathetic things. No wonder their parents abandoned them." He replied promptly. It was Stark's hand that kept me from leaping across the table and ripping out his throat. He placed a fast hand on my knee and under normal circumstances, I would've yelled at him. I was too busy hiding my fury to care.

"Well." Stark began drily. "Sounds like they were quite difficult to deal with."

"Oh for the sake of Underland, yes. We sent them off, firing at their feet since it seems to be the only way to get rid of such urchins. Then we took the Vanderbilt back to our vacation home and roasted it. We gave the urchins the remainders of the pitiful scraps!" Kensington laughed. Stark's hand tightened around my knee and I looked over at him quickly, wondering what the hell he was doing. And then I saw his eyes. His luminous, yellow-green eyes were brimming with rage. And yet, he calmly had another sip of his soup.

"How generous of you." His sarcasm was layered so thickly upon those four words that even Worthington stopped chewing long enough to stare. The adults immediately noticed.

"Stark! Is something wrong?" His mother called. Stark immediately turned to her with a charmed smile.

"Nothing at all, madam. We were simply having a pleasant conversation regarding hunting." I nodded my head in agreement and smiled before turning my eyes towards Henry, daring him to disagree.

"Y-yes!" Henry sputtered. "We were discussing if it is more difficult to take down a Vanderbilt or a King's Hide." I immediately thought about what I knew of the two animals. Vanderbilts were larger and slower than the King's Hides but their skin was thicker and they packed a killed blow. King's Hides were faster, but easier to take down if you had the element of surprise. I tuned back into the conversation in time to note that the adults had bought the lie. I closed my eyes and sighed before returning my meal. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Henry smirked.

"It would make sense for a lowlife toss-off like you to sympathize with those urchins." At that, Stark set his spoon down and slowly pushed his chair back.

"If you will excuse me gentleman, I appear to have lost my appetite." He turned to me and bowed.

"Princess, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I looked forward to speaking with you again in the morning." And he abruptly turned on his heel and walked out. I nodded and turned back to Henry, glaring. I sighed and stood.

"Mother, I have finished my meal and I wish to retire." She nodded and I turned back to the boys.

"Monsieur Worthington, Monsieur Henry, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance tonight and I looked forward to speaking with the two of you in the morning." I stepped to the side and pushed in my chair. I fixed Henry with a hard look before continuing, a hard edge to my voice that I hadn't even known I could obtain.

"Sir Henry Kensington. I do wish to remind you that you are guest within my home and I expect you to act as such. I will not stand for guests to be rude to one another and make disrespectful comments to one another either. I hope you remember that for the remainder of your stay." I curtsied and stood to my full height.

"Good night." And I turned with a swish of my skirts, leaving Henry shocked and fuming behind me.


	3. Chapter 3

The look of shock on Henry's hawk like face almost dissipated my anger. Almost.

I stormed down the hall before whirling around to look in the direction of the dining hall in anger and then turning around again with a cry of disbelief. I could not believe him!  "That disrespectful, unmerciful, selfish, self-centered, pompous-"

"Now now, m'lady! Those words do not belong in the mouth of a princess."

I whirled around with a smile as I found the face that said those words. Chess. He was leaning against the wall in his Shiftling form. His face was oval, his jawline round, yet firm. His eyes, the same no matter what form he took, gleamed a mischievous turquoise green. His white shirt was buttoned, his dark blue jacket open, his slacks clean. The cat ears protruding from his black hair were dusted with gray and blue fur, and flicked every few seconds. His tail casually swept back and forth beneath him.

"Now, m'lady." He said, coming up beside me and offering me his arm. I took it and we began walking down the hall. "What ails you?" The frustration was back.

"Henry 'Kiss-up" Kensington!" I ground out through clenched teeth and Chess stopped walking. I walked a few inches away from him and continued.

"He's an annoying prick who's just like every other suitor that has come. He's rude, his comments are disrespectful, and the entire dinner was spent with him telling us about his hunting achievements and his treatment of orphans." The fight left my voice and pain raced through my chest. "He was proud of treating them like dirt. Said their parents abandoned them because they were worthless." The last part was a whisper and suddenly fur was nudging against my arm. I looked down at Chess, who had shifted fully into a cat, before cradling my arms. He flew into them and nuzzled his face against my arm and I began scratching Chess's cat head.

I ignored the tears that stung at the back of my eyes and slowly began walking again.

"It wasn't our fault. It was just a fire." The words were soft and choked and Chess began purring to cheer me up, which made me laugh.

"I am sorry about the suitors, Chess. Mother gave me no warning this time." His purring diminished slightly so I continued. "And they're going to be here for a week, so you'll have to stay in my room or be extra good." His purring stopped completely and I groaned in exasperation.

"It's not my fault! That's why she called me earlier! There are only three of them and one of them is actually quite-"

"You know princess, it does not suit someone of your age and stature to be talking to herself." I whirled around. Stark.

Stark Ravinly was odd. His hair was a dark auburn color, a several shades darker than my own, closer to a brown or a black really. I would've called it that if it weren't for the red that reflected off the lights. His eyes were a luminous yellow-green, almost cat like in their expression. He wore a top hat, which he had not had on earlier, that was created of a fabric filled with dark red, yellow and brown accents, with a faded orange ribbon across it. It was almost pink. His suit was black, his tie looked to be the same material, or at least the same pattern, as his hat. His handkerchief was too.  I realized what he said and frowned.

"If you mean to imply that your princess has lost her head, you are incorrect, sir." I replied sharply. He laughed and I felt taken back by it. It was light and floating and natural. His laughter was free. I had not heard laughter so careless in 8 years.

"Crazy people don't know when they are crazy. I know I am crazy so that means I can't be crazy. Isn't that crazy?" He said, still laughing. I shook my head in bewilderment at what he said.

"And you had the audacity to call me mad." I muttered and I felt Chess snicker.

"I don't recall you having a wrap at dinner." Stark commented, redrawing me attention. I smiled.

"No. This is not a wrap. This is Chessire." I rearranged the limp, fat, noodle my cat had become so Stark could see his face. Chess was pouting.  "Stupid cat." I muttered. "If you aren't going to be friendly, I'm going to drop you. And if I drop you, then you get all pouty. And when you get pouty, you disobey and you know that if that happens again, Mother will kick you out and I won't be able to stop it." He tensed underneath me. "That's what I thought. Now at least smile for the man." Stark watched the whole exchange with mild amusement. When Chess lifted his head though, his eyes grew wide at the toothy grin. 

"That is one very interesting feline." He said simply and then he laughed a wild sound and Chess hummed. I snickered.

"He's laughing at you." I explained. "I can feel him him against my arms. He found your reaction funny." I sighed and looked around.  "Monsieur Ravinly, it has been a pleasure conversing with you in the hall but I am afraid I must retire. I also cannot imagine the uproar that will ensue if the others know that we had a private conversation." He bowed.  "Of course, madam." I slowly turned to make my way down the hallway. Then I realized I had a question for him. I turned back to ask him but he was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. Woot. Editing can begin. I actually have a lot more chapters ready, but I'm going to wait a bit before posting them. Comment any requests, questions. I'm going to go more into the Shiftling's in the next chapter, so hang tight.  
> See you later


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